Grassland revived after herders stop grazing

HOHHOT - The grassland surrounding Temur's hometown on a large prairie in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region was once so degraded, the herder struggled to graze his animals - even in summertime.

"The grassland of the family was much smaller a dozen years ago, but there were twice as many sheep to graze as now. Overgrazing had deteriorated the grassland," said the 60-year-old herdsman who lives in Altanhil, East Ujimqin Banner, Xilin Gol.

Back then, people in Altanhil struggled to find large tracts of land with sufficient grass for their animals, Temur said. Natural grasslands cover 74 percent of Inner Mongolia's land area and more than one-fifth of China's total, but large swaths of them have long suffered from deterioration, desertification and raging sandstorms.